All horses should have access to shelter and, where they have good shelter, healthy younger horses do not always need to be rugged. Each horse is different though so treat each horse individually, with some being more likely to need extra warmth and protection than others. At what temperature should Read more…
Grains and grain based feeds, molasses and forages like alfalfa/lucerne hay tend to be commonly blamed for making horses ‘hot’. Why does Lucerne make horses hot? Lucerne Hay contains approximately 18% Protein, 28% Fiber and 16g/kg DM (Dry Matter) of Calcium (https://www.feedipedia.org/node/275). It’s also high in Vitamin K and E. Read more…
Some chaff is mixed with molasses or oils to aid palatability. It can also be added to grain rations to add bulk and increase chewing time to slow down horses that bolt their feed. Can you feed a horse chaff on its own? For a complete feed, Dengie Healthy Hooves Read more…
Chaff should be fed at a minimum of 1% and up to 2.5% of body weight daily. Feeding rates will differ according to body weight, condition, metabolism, work intensity and amount of concentrated feed and other roughage fed daily. How much lucerne should I feed my horse? As a rule Read more…
Many older horses require more calories in the form of highly digestible fiber from sources like beet pulp, soy hulls and dehydrated alfalfa meal. In addition, dietary fat helps with weight loss. How much fiber does a senior horse need? A well-formulated senior feed should contain, at the minimum, 12% Read more…
Like all true herbivores, horses get most of their daily energy requirements from eating plant fibers. Yet, ironically, horses can’t digest fiber. In fact, no animal can digest fiber on its own. Can horses break down fiber? Fibre cannot be digested in a horse’s small intestine. Instead, the horse relies Read more…
Grain is the usual choice as it provides 1.5 times more energy per pound than hay; a pound of grain is much smaller than a pound of hay. Diets high in grains can lead to digestive issues — to prevent stomach ulcers and colic, a horse’s ration should be less Read more…
Some Popular By-Products in Horse Feed Molasses and beet pulp in horse feed. The sugar industry produces two of the most popular by-products in horse diets: molasses and beet pulp. Wheat in horse feed. Rice bran in horse feed. Soybean meal and soy hulls in horse feed. What are the Read more…
Grain, unfortunately, doesn’t last as long: Six months for pellets (heat processed) Three months for most unopened sacs of textured feeds. A few weeks or a month for rolled oats in warm, humid weather. How long does a 50lb bag of horse grain last? A 50 lb bag will last Read more…
Chaff is also easier to digest than hay and so it is great for young and older horses. Can I just feed my horse chaff? Chaff or chopped straw is commonly fed to horses and ponies to bulk out their concentrate feed and to prevent them eating too quickly. Chaff Read more…